The Joy of Text
by LouiseX
Summary: Fluffy plot bunny with a modern take… Wheeler & Linka of course
1. Chapter 1

**The Joy of Text**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I make no money from these fics and recognise the sole rights of the original creators to do so.

 **Summary:** Fluffy plot bunny with a modern take… Wheeler & Linka of course

 **A/N:** Hi all, thanks for bearing with me… I haven't forgotten the Christmas fic but it's taking longer than planned and well, RL is getting in the way as usual. I'm half way through reading some great fics too (you know the ones I mean), I will get back to them soon, I promise!

Thanks to Nina for your reviews, it won't let me reply to a guest but I appreciate your taking the time to write to me.

p.s the lack of punctuation in Wheeler's messages are deliberate ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Linka's new phone beeped announcing the arrival of a text and her heart leapt, her eyes sparkling with excitement, making her cousins laugh.

"Trust the Nerd Queen to react like that to a new toy," Olga snorted derisively.

Zoya nodded and sipped her wine, "You are in serious need of a man."

Linka rolled her eyes and read the message, trying not smile too widely and betray herself. It wasn't the mobile phone that made her happy, but the sender.

[Whats black and white and red all over?]

"Who is it from?" Renata, the youngest of the sisters asked quietly.

"Just one of the other Planeteers, I am not the only one who is enjoying the novelty of a hi-tech gadget." Linka told her, "Fortunately, the International Environmental Agency arranged for unlimited texts."

She quickly typed out a reply. [A penguin with sunburn. You need some new material Yankee.]

"Are you actually seeing anyone?" Zoya asked the Planeteer, and then mimed typing on a keyboard, "or did you write your own?"

[The classics are the best! How's the bachelorette party?]

Linka sighed and responded to both, "I do not have time to date if that is what you mean."

[So much fun I am laughing at your jokes.]

"Leave her alone." The bride said impatiently, "Let's talk about _**my**_ man instead, that's what you're here for after all."

[Ouch, and there I was hoping you were missing me!]

It was Renata's turn to laugh, "We already know _**everything**_ there is to know about Erik. You should really tell him not to walk around naked when we're staying."

Zoya grinned, "Don't you dare, it's his one tolerable bad habit!"

"He doesn't have any bad habits!" Olga protested causing further laughter. "Ok so he leaves his clothes on the floor, that's not that bad."

[Babe? Youre supposed to say, of course I miss you Yankee!]

"And leaves the seat up." Renata put in.

"All guys leave the seat up!"

Her eldest sister raised an eyebrow, "They don't all use the wardrobe when they're too drunk to tell the difference."

Linka was horrified as her cousin waved it away, saying he'd bought her new clothes, and she typed out another text.

[Have you ever pee'd in your closet?]

[Huh? Did you mean to send that to me?]

[Da]

"Besides, you told me Boris and Vasily had a competition to see who could make it go the furthest down your stairs!" Olga continued.

"They are five years old," their fond mother responded, "they will have time to grow out of it before anyone considers marrying them."

[Then no, I haven't. Are you drinking?]

Linka glanced at the full glass of wine she'd been ignoring.

[Nyet, they are comparing stories. I just wondered if it was common.]

[My dad made a mess of the bathroom on a few occasions, but that was just bad aim]

The Russian Planeteer laughed and once more drew the others' attention. She told them Wheeler's earlier joke rather than explain her conversation and got more pitying looks.

"So are you looking forward to the honeymoon?" Zoya asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Olga shrugged, "We could not afford much, just a few nights away in Minsk. We have tickets to see a performance of Les Miserables though."

Just young enough to still be called a teenager, though she was officially an adult, Renata sighed, "When I go on my honeymoon I don't want the most exciting thing about it to be a play."

[What is your idea of a romantic honeymoon?]

[You proposing?]

A smile curled the corner of Linka's lips.

[You would run a mile]

[I might surprise you]

[Then answer the question]

"Then do not live with them first," Zoya recommended, "It destroys all the magic."

"I wouldn't say that." Olga shifted uncomfortably, "Erik knew I really wanted to see the show so he booked it as a surprise, it doesn't mean I plan to spend the whole time sightseeing."

[Mountains] she looked puzzled for a moment but then a second text came through and her expression warmed, [Breath-taking views, lots of privacy and cold enough to snuggle]

"What about you Linka?" The Planeteer looked up from her phone with a start and her cousin sighed before repeating her question, "Your honeymoon; action packed itinerary or permanently locked door?"

Linka blushed and picked up her glass to take a sip before answering, "Something between the two? Somewhere with nice scenery where we can go for walks, but without a lot of people to care what we do."

The other women acknowledged that as a good option, while Linka's imagination tempted her with snow covered peaks.

"Well if he looked like Erik, I'd be wanting to spend all my time in the hotel." Renata persisted, then turning to her cousin and making her blush, "It's a shame you arrived so late, you really missed out."

[Do you ever walk around naked when we are not there?]

[All the time]

"Perhaps it is not Linka that needs the boyfriend!" Olga glared at her, not noticing that the Planeteer's cheeks had suddenly gone a much deeper red. "He is going to be your brother."

"If you want me to think of him as a brother, stop him putting on a show," Renata replied tartily, "Besides I have a boyfriend, it's just not going _**there**_."

Zoya refilled their glasses, "Ever? Then why bother going out with him?"

Her sister shrugged, "Better than being single and stuck at home, or the third wheel on a night out when all my friends are in couples."

"Is it?" Linka asked sceptically, "I am not sure I could do that, to me dates are about getting to know someone to see if you're compatible. If you already know you are not…"

"When was the last time you went on a date exactly?" Zoya asked, apparently switching sides.

The Wind Planeteer's phone beeped again but she didn't dare look at it. Instead she took another mouthful of her drink and swallowed hard. "About three weeks ago. Gi set up a double date… we were not compatible so it was not repeated."

She didn't add that her friend had sprung it on her as a surprise, not leaving her room to refuse without causing a scene, or that the row that had resulted with Wheeler - though ostensibly about her habit of tidying anything left around - had lasted a week.

Linka hated the hollow feeling that came with having her American friend angry with her, even if he technically had no right to be jealous. She glanced at her screen.

[You know I was joking right?]

[Shame]

[You want pictures?]

She choked on her wine and made haste to reply, [NYET!]

[Private demonstration then?]

"What is going on over there," Olga asked, finally catching on. "Who did you say you were texting?"

"Just one of the others, they are being stupid." She shrugged, "I will ignore them."

Zoya looked at her, "One of the others, but not Gi or you would have said, so one of the boys? There are boys, right?"

Linka hid in her glass, not denying the charge.

Renata grinned, "I think she's holding out on us."

Her eldest sister grinned, "I think you're right."

"Is he as hot as Erik?" Olga teased.

Linka laughed just as she received another message.

[Are you thinking about it?]

[My cousins want to know what you look like, send me a photo but KEEP IT CLEAN!]

When the image arrived a few moments later she laughed again and rolled her eyes. His selfie was technically clean, if you didn't count a very well defined bare chest and a confident expression. She saved it before turning the phone over to her family.

"If he's really not your boyfriend, can I have him?" Renata asked.

"Not bad," Olga admitted, "But Erik still beats him."

Linka shook her head, "You have to say that, and no he is not available."

"Meaning he isn't single or you have first refusal?" Zoya enquired with a knowing expression.

Suddenly hating just how many times she had refused him, Linka replied that they were just friends.

"He doesn't seem to think so, not based on the messages he was sending you!"

Linka exclaimed and wrested her phone back from Renata, "You were not supposed to read that!"

Her cousin laughed, "No kidding. You'd better answer him, I know, send him a picture of me and ask if he's interested?"

"I will send a picture of all of you if you will pose?" she suggested and they dutifully moved closer together and held up their glasses in a silent toast.

[Renata was drooling, Olga is being loyal to her bridegroom and Zoya is going to give me a hard time]

[Was their cousin drooling too?]

[Mishka is not here]

[Haha would it hurt you to say something nice?]

[Your ego does not need any more encouragement. I have to go, or will not hear the end of it. I will text you later.]

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

Unable to sleep, Linka slipped out of the room she was sharing with her youngest cousin and made her way down the stairs to the living room.

[Yankee?]

The response was almost immediate, as if he'd been waiting for her message.

[Here]

[Sorry about earlier]

[Me too, I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable]

Linka smiled and relaxed into the sofa.

[I know. You did not.]

[What did I miss after you stopped texting?]

She chuckled.

[Just more girl talk]

[Oh yeah? Any more questions you want me to answer?]

Linka thought for a moment, immediately discarding some of the suggestions Zoya had made about the honeymoon.

[Do you break wind in bed?]

[Yes]

She laughed and typed out her response, but hesitated a few moments before sending it, suddenly unsure whether she wanted the answer. Finally she decided to go for it.

[Even when you are sharing it with someone?]

[Love me, love my farts.] That made her laugh again, in spite of the answer because she found Wheeler's sense of humour infectious, though she rarely admitted it. It wasn't an entirely comfortable thought however but his follow up text helped soothe the rest of her reaction. [I've never shared a bed with anyone Babe, too personal]

[Not even Trish?]

[Nope. Sofa, fire escape and someones bathroom at a party.] Then, [Before I met you]

He didn't need to explain further, she understood perfectly and it wasn't really anything he hadn't hinted at before. She decided to change the subject.

[How do you feel about feminine products in the bathroom?]

[I could live with it]

[What about buying them?]

[An act of true love]

That set her off into a fit of the giggles which she had to stifle against the cushions in case she woke her family members.

[Anything else?]

She thought for a moment.

[Would you go out with someone, knowing that there was no future in it, just so you would not be alone?]

It was a long pause for what turned out to be a short answer.

[Eventually]

[I am not sure that makes sense?] She replied, thinking of her cousin's situation.

[If I cant have the future I want, Id eventually go out with someone to not be alone]

She swallowed and went to the kitchen for some water, wanting to flush the remaining wine from her system though she hadn't had more than the one glass.

[Youre not going to ask?]

Linka took a deep breath and replied.

[What is the future you want?]

[You]

She couldn't help the smile that crept over her lips any more than she could prevent the warmth and comfort she felt from any form of contact with him.

[Care to elaborate?]

[Will you consider it if I do?]

Looking around the moonlit room in the comfortable home her cousin shared with her fiancé, Linka suddenly wished very strongly that Wheeler were there with her. In the silence of the night it felt like they were the only two beings alive on the planet and it seemed wrong that they were on different continents joined only by a piece of technology.

[Yes]

Her phone rang and she scrambled to answer it before the too loud tone woke the house's occupants, still she couldn't find it in her to be angry.

"You mean that?"

His voice relaxed her and he could hear the smile in hers, "Da."

"You had to wait until you were all the way over there to say that?" he complained but he was obviously as happy as she felt.

"Listening to my cousins complain about the men they love gave me a new perspective." She told him.

In her mind's eye she could see him grinning, "Oh yeah? So none of that stuff was a deal breaker for you?"

She shook her head, though he couldn't see her, "My only deal breaker would be cheating and I do not believe you would break a promise."

"You're right, I don't cheat." He paused, "Actually I don't usually make promises, but it's different with you, I swear!"

"I know." Returning to the other room and snuggling down on the sofa again, with her phone to her ear, "You were going to tell me about the future?"

Again Wheeler hesitated, "I don't want to do that, I want us to decide what it's going to be together. But I do want…"

"Da?"

"I want you to say something, I need you to say something. Something more than maybe." He sighed, "I'm pushing my luck, I know it."

Linka was nervously biting her lower lip. She understood what he was saying and he was right, he deserved more than being kept dangling on a string of her making.

Just when he thought she wasn't going to reply, "We have a lot of preparations to make tomorrow, and the wedding is the day after."

He thought she was changing the subject and she heard the hurt in his voice though his response was barely there, "Oh."

"What I mean is, I cannot leave so," she took a breath, "will you come here? Please?"

"Really?" He asked in surprise but with renewed hope.

"Da, you will have to stay at the hotel because there is no room here but we would be together?"

There was a pause and then, "Babe, are you sure you aren't drinking?"

Her face flushed with mortification and she answered indignantly. "I had one glass of wine after the last time you asked, but I am not drunk. If it is not what you want just say so, I do not play games!"

"Woah, Linka calm down, that's not what I meant!" He sounded genuinely alarmed and it reassured her somewhat, so she remained silent, letting him continue. "It's just that you're not normally so open about how you feel, it seems too good to be true."

"But it _**is**_ what you want?" She asked shyly.

"Of course it's what I want!" Exasperation evident in his tone, "I've been telling you that for years, I don't know how I could make it plainer."

Linka rolled her eyes at that, but she didn't sound angry. "Oh I do not know, maybe by not flirting with every passably pretty girl that comes in your way, or you could even have tried telling me you wanted more than my body."

There was silence but at last he asked, "That's really how you see me?"

The Russian sighed, "It is not how I see you, it is how you behaved as a teenager. Even now sometimes, although I have learnt that it is just habit and there is much more going on behind the jokes and attitude."

"There always was," he said quietly, "At least where you're concerned."

Her voice had warmed again and she yawned as she relaxed. "So will you come here?"

Wheeler too sounded much happier, "Yeah, if you promise you won't change your mind?"

"I promise Yankee." She yawned again.

"You in bed?"

Linka sighed, "Nyet, I am sharing a room. I wanted to be alone with you."

The affection in his voice embraced her, "Go back to bed, we can text on silent and you can hide under the covers. I want to tuck you in."

"Give me a minute." She chuckled and hung up.

* * *

[Ok Yankee, I am back in bed with the blanket over my head.] She watched the screen which made its own light, [I have not done this since I was a child with a book I could not put down.]

It was only a short delay before a reply popped up, [So that was every night till you joined the Planeteers then?]

Linka rolled her eyes, [Haha]

[Oh yeah? Who do you think puts your book on the side and turns your light off when you fall asleep reading?]

She grinned, [I knew.][Like I know you suddenly get a craving for hot chocolate when I am too disturbed by a mission to go to bed.][Or get Ma-Ti to demand you make pasta when I am too tired to cook.]

[Not fooling you, huh?] The Russian imagined his smile and the way he would shake his head in pretend disbelief when she impressed him.

[Not for some time.]

[Cool][You gonna let me tuck you in? I have somewhere to be ;)]

Linka didn't think her smile could get any wider, but his silliness mixed with his evident desire to close the distance between them made her happy in a way she'd never felt before. [Go on then]

[Pull the blankets tight around you, you gotta imagine that I'm there with you, cuddling up behind you.]

Doing as she was told, it took her a few moments before she had the courage to respond honestly, [I do that a lot.]

[WHY?!] his response surprised and dismayed her until she received the rest, [I'm like, right next door! normally You could just come in!]

She rolled her eyes, [Da, 'Move over Yankee, do not get any ideas I just want your arms around me']

In her mind she heard his laughter, [Hey I want my arms around you too, you think I'd argue when we finally agreed on something?]

[I think it would have started a conversation I was not ready for]

[So what's changed?] Another text followed quickly, [that's not a complaint] [I'm just still having trouble believing you won't have second thoughts]

She thought for so long she half expected another message but he was clearly determined to wait for her this time. [I sat through hours of comparisons tonight, it was not just their current partners my cousins were talking about, and all the time I wanted to say 'My Yankee is not like that' or 'Jason knows when I am not happy'.] [He is always gentle. He never tries to make me feel small for knowing something he does not. He makes me feel safe.] her cheeks flushed red. [You have never been my boyfriend but it is always you in my head.]

[I wish you'd told me, we could have been together for sooo long.][And you always know more than me, I'm proud of your genius!]

Sighing with contentment, Linka was considering telling him goodnight when another message followed, [I love you]

Her eyes opened wide and she gave a gasp, not quite believing her eyes.

Evidently she took too long to answer because another message came through. [Too much?]

[Did you mean it?]

[Yeah, but don't freak over it, it's not like it's a new thing]

 _Typical Yankee_ , she thought but though his text made her heart beat faster, she found it also comforted her.

[Our new toys make it easier to talk, da?]

[Da… I hope the phone company isn't monitoring this though, they could sell it to the papers for a fortune!]

[Stop trying to freak me out and say goodnight, I do not want you to fly tired.]

[I'm fine Babe, I'll see you soon.][Sweet dreams]

[Good night Yankee] She took a deep breath. [Jason?]

There was no pause, [Yeah?]

[I love you too]

* * *

 **The End**


End file.
